Olamide Francis
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is short of funds in the tune of $180 million to offer humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe, Nature News gathered.
WFP Zimbabwe Representative and Country Director, Francesca Erdelmann, said it has been a tough year for the donor community due to the impact of COVID-19.
“For our portfolio in Zimbabwe between now and the next six months we are short by about $180 million.
“These are not the amounts of money that are easy to mobilise and for most of our donors, it’s tough for them too.
“So, we really have to try and make sure that we can reach our targets and deliver the support to the people, but if we can’t, we are going to have to make some tough choices and target only the most vulnerable groups,” Erdelmann said.
World Food Programme predicts that by the year-end, the number of food-insecure Zimbabweans would have surged by almost 50 per cent to 8.6 million (or 60 per cent of the population) owing to the combined effects of drought, economic recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
